No Bake Cookies!
No offense to the people at Nestle, but Toll House cookies have two fundamental flaws. First, because there’s raw egg in the dough, the kids can’t lick the bowl. And second, they take over 20 minutes to make from start to finish. Instead, save the Toll House for a special occasion and try making these great “no bake, no wait” cookies with the kids. Whether it’s breaking up an argument between a brother and sister, or helping a playdate that’s stuck in a rut, these cookies are sure to please and they’re done before you’ve even started!
Another advantage to these cookies is that most of the ingredients are ones you probably already have in your pantry. So get started with some oats, peanut butter, cocoa powder, butter and sugar and you’re on your way to treating the kids to cookies they don’t have to wait and bake!
What You Need:
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup butter
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ½ cup crunchy peanut butter
- 3 cups quick cooking oats
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Medium saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Wax paper
What You Do:
- Let the kids measure out the first four ingredients. Teach them how to read the measurements and talk about why a teaspoon is less than a ½ cup, etc. Doing measurements with the kids is a great introduction to math skills.
- Then have them combine all four ingredients into a medium saucepan. Let Mom or Dad put the saucepan over the stove and bring to a boil. Cook and stir occasionally for one and a half minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Again, let the little hands be in charge of measuring.
- Show them how to scoop a teaspoonful of the dough and drop it onto wax paper.
- Now all that’s left to do is let the cookies cool until hardened - and your “no bake” cookies are ready to enjoy!
